For years most of our attention has been focused on flagship handsets from companies like Apple, Google and Samsung. But since last year’s release of the excellent Pixel 3a, midrange devices have gotten a lot more interesting. Today Google finally announced the Pixel 4a, which cuts a few corners but still delivers fast performance and even a flagship-level camera for the low price of $350. But it isn’t your only choice if you want a great phone in the midrange. We lined up the Pixel 4a’s specs against those of the iPhone SE and Samsung’s Galaxy A51 to see how these devices measure up under the hood. (We didn’t include the OnePlus Nord since it’s not available on the US.) If you want the full scoop on the Pixel 4a, though, be sure to check out our full review.

	Pixel 4a	Galaxy A51	iPhone SE (2020)
Pricing	$349	$350	$399 / $449 / $549
Dimensions	144 x 69.4 x 8.2 mm (5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches)	158.5 x 73.6 x 7.9 mm (6.24 x 2.89 x 0.31 inches)	138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm (5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches)
Weight	143g (5.04 ounces)	172g (6.07 ounces)	148g (5.22 ounces)
Screen size	5.81 inches (147.6 mm)	6.5 inches (165.1 mm)	4.7 inches (119.38 mm)
Screen resolution	2340 x 1080 (443 ppi)	2400 x 1,080 (405 ppi)	1,334 x 750 (326 ppi)
Screen type	FHD+ OLED	FHD+ Super AMOLED	Retina HD LCD
Battery	3,140 mAh	4,000 mAh	1,821 mAh
Internal storage	128GB	128 GB	64 / 128 / 256 GB
External storage	None	None	None
Rear camera(s)	12.2MP, f/1.7	Quad camera: Wide: 48 MP, f/2.0 Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2 Macro: 5 MP, f/2.4 DoF: 5 MP, f/2.2	12MP, f/1.8
Front camera(s)	8 MP, f/2.0	32 MP, f/2.2	7MP, f/2.2
Video capture	1080p at 30 fps	4K at 120 fps	4K at 60 fps
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G	Samsung Exynos 9611	Apple A13 Bionic
CPU	2.2 GHz octa-core	2.3 GHz octa-core	2.65 GHz hexa-core
GPU	Adreno 618	Mali-G72 MP3	unnamed quad-core
RAM	6 GB	4 GB	4 GB
WiFi	Dual band, 802.11ac	Dual band, 802.11ac	Dual band, 802.11ax
Bluetooth	v5.1	v5.0	v5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes
Operating system	Android 10	Android 10	iOS 13
Other features	USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack	USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack	IP67 certified, Lightning connector, Qi wireless charging

AT&T

The email does link to an AT&T support article that mentions the company plans to scrap its 3G network in February 2022. “Once we do, 3G devices and 4G wireless devices that don’t support HD Voice will no longer work on our network,” the page says. However, the urgent tone of the email doesn’t make it clear to customers that they have well over a year to purchase a new phone.

The email has prompted discussion in the AT&T community forum, as users deliberated over whether it was a scam. One poster expressed skepticism, since their Samsung Galaxy S10e was released last year. A commenter replied that the email is a “scam for sure.” However, as Android Police pointed out, AT&T specifically has to whitelist phones that can use its 4G network for voice calling — so an unlocked, relatively new phone like the Galaxy S10e still could run into trouble. Again, though, it wouldn’t be for over a year.

We reached out to AT&T for comment, and they responded with this statement: “This email was one of many planned to keep customers informed about the shutdown of our 3G network in early 2022. It should have included the date that certain devices would no longer be supported. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and will be more clear in future updates.”

Considering the economy is in a difficult spot, we’re hoping AT&T’s future emails don’t try and pressure customers into buying a new phone.

Law enforcement agencies began collecting data from Encrochat on April 1st. According to the BBC, the encryption code was likely cracked in early March. It’s not clear exactly how officials hacked the platform, which is now shut down.

It’s not unusual for criminals to communicate via encrypted apps and devices. In 2018, the FBI arrested Vincent Ramos, the CEO of Phantom Secure, a company that was selling custom BlackBerrys to drug cartels. When Ramos pleaded guilty, he admitted that the encrypted handsets were used to facilitate sales of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines and that Phantom Secure remotely wiped the devices if they were obtained by law enforcement.

In the US, politicians promoting the EARN IT Act want to penalize companies for using end-to-end encryption. In theory, that may prevent platforms like Encrochat and Phantom Secure, but the bill would make changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and doing that could have far-reaching consequences. For starters, it might lead to social media platforms censoring anything that might prompt a legal challenge — or shutting down altogether.

For now at least, we can be happy that officials busted Encrochat users. In addition to the arrests, police in the UK say they prevented kidnappings and executions, “mitigating over 200 threats to life.”

“Together we’ve protected the public by arresting middle-tier criminals and the kingpins, the so-called iconic untouchables who have evaded law enforcement for years, and now we have the evidence to prosecute them,” NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland said in a statement.

The Black Shark 3 Pro has a 7.1-inch, 3,120 x 1,440 AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its 270Hz touch sampling rate makes it that much more responsive to your finger taps, and it comes with a 5,000 mAh battery. The 8GB RAM version costs 4,699 yuan ($675), and the 12GB RAM option costs 4,999 yuan ($718). Both come with 256GB of storage.

If you aren’t ready to spend that much and you don’t mind sacrificing the pop-up shoulder buttons, the Black Shark 3 ranges from 3,499 yuan ($502) to 3,999 yuan ($575). The non-Pro model has capacitive shoulder buttons, a 6.67-inch, 2,400 x 1,800 AMOLED display, with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 270Hz touch sampling rate. It comes with a 4,720mAh battery.

Both of the 5G phones have the Snapdragon 865 chipset, two heat pipes that sandwich the logic board to keep it cool and adjustable pressure sensitivity on the left and right parts of the screen (when the phone is in landscape). The Black Shark 3 and Pro both have a triple-camera setup on the back, with a 64-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel ultra wide camera and a five-megapixel bokeh camera. The front-facing selfie camera has a 20-megapixel sensor, and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The backs of the phones have pins for an 18W magnetic charging plug, which could be convenient when you’re gaming. The phones are capable of 65W fast charging through the USB-C port, and both take just 12 minutes to reach a 50 percent charge (38 minutes to reach 100 percent). All of the models are now available for preorder.

The phone sold out in seconds on Supreme’s site, and even though I had an early morning slot to get into the store, the red model was already gone. So I bought the black one you see here.

Before we go any further, I know you’re probably wondering who asked for this? And the answer is simple: no one. But that doesn’t matter to Supreme. After all, the popular streetwear brand has made a literal brick, which features its iconic box logo and can now be found on the resale market for upwards of $150. With a dumb phone, you could at least make the argument that it has a practical use.

As you might expect, though, the Supreme Blu burner phone isn’t here to battle the iPhone 11 or Pixel 4. The candybar-style phone features a 2.4-inch display, a VGA rear camera (no selfie cam, sorry), sluggish 3G connectivity and support for up to 32GB of storage. (Supreme was nice enough to toss in a 16GB card.)

You’ll also find dual SIM slots on the handset, but unfortunately we couldn’t make any phone calls because, well, it’s hard to find a working full-size SIM these days. If you do find some of those old-school SIMs, the phone is unlocked, so it can work with a couple different carriers simultaneously. Considering a “burner phone” is generally associated with conducting shady business (sometimes they’re also called “trap phones”), you can see how having access to dual SIMs can come in handy. That said, the only business hypebeasts who get this phone will probably be conducting is taking a pictures with it and posting them on Instagram.

This is all still hearsay, though, as neither Verizon nor OnePlus have announced the partnership. Given that OnePlus is now available through T-Mobile and Sprint, a Verizon deal wouldn’t be entirely surprising. OnePlus is expected to unveil the 7T at a North American event on September 26th. With any luck, we’ll learn more about the rumored Verizon deal then.

Of course, the US trade war with China could put a damper on sales. The US plans to implement a 15 percent tariff on Chinese-made smartphones beginning this December. As Android Police points out, that could increase the base price of a 7 Pro by $100, making the phone a bit less attractive.

Nokia hosted its IFA 2019 event yesterday in Berlin, where the Finnish brand revealed some new products for your smartphone-averse friends and family. The Nokia 110 and Nokia 800 Tough are modernized candybar dumbphones, while the Nokia 2720 Flip is — you guessed it — a flip phone. The company also announced iterations to its midrange Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 smartphones, emphasizing their triple camera setups and photo processing muscles. Nokia’s Power Earbuds are getting an update as well: The new case can charge the earbuds up to 30 times.